Abortion Rights and Access

The Reproductive Rights program is deeply committed to ensuring that New York remains a beacon for choice. After the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the federal abortion ban, endangering the health and welfare of women seeking abortions, our work in this area is especially pressing. In the wake of the decision, RRP is working to revise New York abortion law to protect reproductive freedom in New York State in the event Roe v. Wade is overturned. The law would establish women’s rights to choose or refuse abortion as well as contraception, clarify that women’s health is a paramount consideration in regulating abortion, and treat the regulation of abortion as a public health issue, rather than as a criminal matter.

Other areas of focus include working remove barriers to the provision of abortion services by qualified health care providers, such as excessive malpractice insurance rates, preserving the provision of abortion services in hospitals by opposing the imposition of religious directives on once-secular institutions, and ensuring that incarcerated women are guaranteed access to reproductive health services, including abortion.